Through its Higher Learning grantmaking area, the Mellon Foundation has announced a new “Call for Concepts.” This year’s call invites humanities-grounded ideas for research and curricular projects focused on any of three themes:
- Cultures of U.S. Democracy
- Environmental Justice Studies
- Social Justice and Disciplinary Knowledge
Grants may be for $250,000–$500,000 over a duration of up to three years. The University of Minnesota may submit only a limited number of applications, and the Institute for Advanced Study will coordinate the University’s internal review, selection, and endorsement process.
Overview of Process & Deadlines
Detailed registration and applications instructions are below.
- Step 1: Register with the Mellon Foundation. Deadline: Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 2:00 pm CST
- Step 2: Submit concept to the IAS. Deadline: Friday, January 12, 2024 at 11:59 pm CST. The IAS will select applications for submission to the Mellon Foundation and arrange for endorsement letters.
- Step 3: Submit application to the Mellon Foundation. Deadline: Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 2:00 pm CST
- Step 4: Submit proposal to the Mellon Foundation. Deadline: October or November 2024. Finalists will be invited by the Mellon Foundation in Summer 2024 to develop proposals for submission to the December 2024 Mellon Board meeting.
Eligibility
- The PI should be a tenure-track or tenured faculty member or dean in a program or department in the humanities or humanistic social sciences.
- Faculty from the Duluth or Twin Cities campuses are eligible to apply as PI. The University of Minnesota may put forward no more than three applications per eligible system campus.
- Architecture (historical or theoretical), Musicology, Performance Studies, Urban Studies, and others at the U of M that might fall into a professional college, yet may incorporate humanities-based perspectives and methodologies, are included.